Firestone’s RubberGard EPDM delivers on the detailing at Cotswold destination

Firestone Building Products’ RubberGard EPDM roofing membrane has been used to help create a woodland haven for holiday makers, foodies and golfing enthusiasts at the prestigious ‘The Lodges at Feldon Valley’ Hotel.

Due to open in spring 2019, The Lodges at Feldon Valley is a major development that will create a leisure destination that combines fine dining and luxury accommodation with a Cotswolds setting, mature woodland and a golf course. The project includes refurbishment and complete interior modelling of the existing club house to create the fine dining restaurant and bar, along with construction of the main 13 guest room ‘lodge’, and four satellite lodges.

Designed by architectural practice, Design Engine, to complement their natural setting, the smaller lodges will be connected to the main hotel building via a raised boardwalk and will provide a secluded, natural and relaxing getaway destination with views of woodland and rolling countryside.

The project’s lead architect, Amanda Moore, explained: “The client was very clear that the vision for the project was to create a hotel that complements the natural setting and makes use of natural materials, so the satellite lodges have been designed as a homogenous shape with natural timber cladding. We needed a waterproofing membrane that could encapsulate the battening system for the timber cladding on the pitched roof and Firestone’s RubberGard EPDM roofing system provided the ideal solution as it enabled much faster and simpler detailing to seal each batten and work with the pitch of the roof. Indeed, we have been so impressed with the system that we have since invited the company to deliver a CPD presentation to our design team.”

Firestone Authorised Contractor, Weatherfix FRS, was appointed to carry out installation of the RubberGard EPDM roofing membrane on each of the four satellite lodges. The RubberGard EPDM membrane was installed onto the roof of all four small lodges within just four days, enabling the main contractor to begin work on the interiors. The battens were then installed onto the completed roofing membrane and Weatherfix FRS began the process of carrying out the detailing for the 400+ battens on the roofs, adhering a strip of RubberGard EPDM to each primed batten and sealing it to the base membrane with Firestone QuickSeam Splice Tape on each side, and 9” QuickSeam Formflash at the top and bottom. Once the waterproofing had been completed, the timber cladding could be installed to the roof and external walls.

Oliver Sweeney from Weatherfix FRS said: “The level of detailing required to incorporate more than 400 battens into the waterproof roof surface meant that it would have been cost-prohibitive to use felt-based systems because installation would have been so labour intensive. Conversely, the water-based adhesive, tapes and ease of detailing offered by the Firestone RubberGard EPDM system made the detailing much faster and easier to achieve.

“The only downside for our team is that our neat detailing is now completely obscured by the timber cladding. However, we know it’s there, doing its job, and, thanks to the extended service life of the RubberGard EPDM system, we also know that the Lodges at Feldon Valley can be confident the EPDM membrane will keep guests dry and cosy for years to come.”

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